City of Santa Monica Poised to Expand Training, Coaching Services for Staff

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Harding, Larmore
Kutcher & Kozal, LLP

By Jorge Casuso

February 9, 2018 -- The City of Santa Monica is poised to pay an additional $150,000 to provide "staff development, team building and coaching services" at City Hall, according to Tuesday's City Council agenda.

The amended agreement with with Innovative Resources Consultant Group (IRCG) would boost the $120,000 approved in January 2017 to a new total amount not to exceed $270,000, staff said.

The funding boost is needed to help "regularly integrate new staff members with current members at all levels of the organization" and "strengthen relationships" among its changing executive leadership.

Strengthening the City's "work teams" is "essential" at a time when "staff progresses towards a more open and modern working environment where communication and work style will be of key importance," staff said.

IRCG will continue using its proprietary Personalysis® methodology to "gather information on an individual’s staff’s work style and strengths to improve team dynamics and communication through workshops and smaller sessions," staff wrote in its report.

The current contract is set to expire in March 2020 but the services need to be expanded due to "on-going and greater than expected demand citywide," staff said.

IRCG has provided services for the Planning and Community Development, Housing and Economic Development, Finance, Community and Cultural Services, Information Services, and Human Resources Departments and the City Manager’s Office.

The contract with IRCG has been continually expanding, starting with a $7,500 contract three years ago for coaching for the Community and Cultural Services (CCS) Department.

Between December 2014 and June 2016, the contract amount was increased to $79,000 and extended to June of last year, according to staff.

The City did not seek competitive bids when it signed its current agreement, saying IRCG was "exclusively qualified to perform this work," staff said.

"Although there are other vendors that use the Personalysis® method, they would not have the same level of expertise nor access to IRCG’s institutional knowledge and experience of the organization," staff wrote in its report.